An Academic Autobiography
What are the purposes of American public schools? What roles does school play in students' lives? How do you study something that you are already so familiar with? Most of us have experienced at least 12 years in the system and you might think you know its features pretty well. Indeed, new teachers often begin their teaching by acting out what they remember about their own schooling or favorite teacher instead of incorporating new understandings they were exposed to in their college coursework. To deepen our knowledge of schools, we can compare our own school experiences with those of others.
We begin our study of American schools with our own experience. In the Academic Autobiography project, we are reading about the academic life of Cedric Jennings in A Hope in the Unseen, and then reflecting on our own academic histories to answer the question:
How do experiences in American public schools differ for different students?
Our autobiographies are also a chance to writewritewrite. Writing is an excellent way of organizing your thinking so that it seems reasonable, interesting, and understandable by others. We will write our biographies in five segments. Each segment should be drafted, read by a critical friend or two, and eventually shared on this wikispace. Each entry should be 2-3 "pages," though they will be located in our wikispace, not on paper. The segments and their due dates are:
1. Personal Profile/Introduction page - Due: 9/14/15 (No revisions necessary) 2. Description of the influence of your early schooling. Due 9/16/15 Revisions done in class - 9/16 3. Description of high school influences. Due 9/18/15 Revisions due 9/21/15 4. Description of how your family and out of school influences contributed to your academic development. Due 9/23/14 Revisions due 9/25/14 5. Description of the kind of learner you intend to be in the future - Due 9/28/15; Revisions due on 10/2/15
Personal Profile / Introduction Page
Use the blank link below to create a page to introduce yourself. Tell us who you are and where you're from. What are your interests and passions? Tell us some interesting facts about yourself so that we can get to know you. Include a photo or two if you can figure out how to do it!
What do you remember about your elementary and middle school experiences? What did you learn that has had a lasting influence? Who were your most influential teachers and/or caregivers? Why?
What role(s) did your high school play in where you are now academically? What curricular and extracurricular experiences shaped your outlook, goals, and abilities? Who were your most influential teachers and/or coaches? Why?
How did your life outside of school contribute to your academic success? What role, if any, did your family play? How did your life outside of school influence how you performed in school and what you chose to study?
What type of learner do you intend to be?
Describe what kind of learner you want to be in the future. How does your vision of learning relate to Bain's research? How are your college experiences comparing to Cedric's? How will you learn from experience? What are some areas where you might develop your passion?
What are the purposes of American public schools? What roles does school play in students' lives? How do you study something that you are already so familiar with? Most of us have experienced at least 12 years in the system and you might think you know its features pretty well. Indeed, new teachers often begin their teaching by acting out what they remember about their own schooling or favorite teacher instead of incorporating new understandings they were exposed to in their college coursework. To deepen our knowledge of schools, we can compare our own school experiences with those of others.
We begin our study of American schools with our own experience. In the Academic Autobiography project, we are reading about the academic life of Cedric Jennings in A Hope in the Unseen, and then reflecting on our own academic histories to answer the question:
How do experiences in American public schools differ for different students?
Our autobiographies are also a chance to write write write. Writing is an excellent way of organizing your thinking so that it seems reasonable, interesting, and understandable by others. We will write our biographies in five segments. Each segment should be drafted, read by a critical friend or two, and eventually shared on this wikispace. Each entry should be 2-3 "pages," though they will be located in our wikispace, not on paper. The segments and their due dates are:
1. Personal Profile/Introduction page - Due: 9/14/15 (No revisions necessary)
2. Description of the influence of your early schooling. Due 9/16/15 Revisions done in class - 9/16
3. Description of high school influences. Due 9/18/15 Revisions due 9/21/15
4. Description of how your family and out of school influences contributed to your academic development. Due 9/23/14 Revisions due 9/25/14
5. Description of the kind of learner you intend to be in the future - Due 9/28/15; Revisions due on 10/2/15
Personal Profile / Introduction Page
Use the blank link below to create a page to introduce yourself. Tell us who you are and where you're from. What are your interests and passions? Tell us some interesting facts about yourself so that we can get to know you. Include a photo or two if you can figure out how to do it!Early Schooling
What do you remember about your elementary and middle school experiences? What did you learn that has had a lasting influence? Who were your most influential teachers and/or caregivers? Why?High School Experiences
What role(s) did your high school play in where you are now academically? What curricular and extracurricular experiences shaped your outlook, goals, and abilities? Who were your most influential teachers and/or coaches? Why?Non-School Academic Influences
How did your life outside of school contribute to your academic success? What role, if any, did your family play? How did your life outside of school influence how you performed in school and what you chose to study?
What type of learner do you intend to be?
Describe what kind of learner you want to be in the future. How does your vision of learning relate to Bain's research? How are your college experiences comparing to Cedric's? How will you learn from experience? What are some areas where you might develop your passion?